Stephen Jackson wasn’t swimming in cash growing up, so when he finally got his first taste of NBA money, he couldn’t quite control himself. During an episode of the All The Smoke podcast, Jackson spoke about spending almost the entirety of his first NBA paycheck of $25,000 at a mall.
“Every dime in the mall,” Jackson said. “We probably had about $100-$200 left. We bought every Girbaud, Polo… everything I get I want one for all them too. We tore the mall down, dawg, and we got cursed out soon as we got home.”
Jackson got reckless, as so many have done in his position, and was unsurprisingly in trouble once he got home. His mother, Judyette, used to work two jobs and had raised him as a single parent. She knew the value of money and wasn’t going to let her son do that ever again.
“My mama never put a check in my hand after that,” Jackson stated. “That’s a good thing. She didn’t put a check in my hand after that.”
Jackson may not have liked what she did at the time, but it’s certainly helped him out in the long run. He isn’t one of those former NBA players who are struggling financially post-retirement.
For a while, though, it had seemed like Jackson might not even get to play in the NBA. The Phoenix Suns had selected him with the 42nd pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, but then waived him just before the start of the 1997-98 season.
With no NBA opportunities coming his way, Jackson opted to continue his basketball journey in the Continental Basketball Association and also overseas. He played in Australia, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
Jackson’s exploits finally caught the eye of the New Jersey Nets, who signed him in 2000. That would be the beginning of a long and successful career.
Jackson averaged 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game over the course of his 14-year NBA career. He won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 and then went on to establish himself as a quality starting-caliber wing.
Playing in the NBA for that long meant Jackson made a pretty penny, too. The 47-year-old earned $65.6 million in salaries, according to Spotrac.
Following his retirement, Jackson has played and coached in the BIG3 in addition to podcasting. While he has found success on the court, he is thriving in the media world in a way that few athletes are.
